


Resolutions and Revelations

by deputyydipshit



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, New Year's Resolutions, Romance, wyncedes is endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 02:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17236019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deputyydipshit/pseuds/deputyydipshit
Summary: A Wayhaught New Years one shot from Nicole’s perspective in third person POV. Nicole hates New Years. She thinks it’s overrated and not worth celebrating. Why celebrate another year when almost nothing will change? And why celebrate when the girl you want to celebrate it with is taken by some tatted up boy-man? Nicole has one chance to make things right. The only question is…will she take that chance?*brief mention of domestic violence, but no detailed encounters with it*





	Resolutions and Revelations

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year and happy holidays, Earpers! I hope you enjoy this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it! I'll be returning to my (sort of) normal upload schedule for my other stories at the beginning of 2019. Thank you for reading, and please leave comments and kudos! You're feedback is appreciated!

 

New Year’s Eve is in a week and Nicole can’t care any less about the parties and events people have been planning for the past month; one of those parties being thrown by her stupid best friend. At her apartment. Why Nicole’s place? Because Wynonna says it has ‘character,’ whatever that means. Her best friend is a terrible liar, though, and Nicole knows it has less to do with her quaint little apartment and more about her homegrown business. That distillery in the Homestead is Wynonna’s pride and joy; Nicole would be stupid if she didn’t think the party had nothing to do with it.

 

New Years has never been something Nicole has enjoyed celebrating for many reasons. She mostly just blames her parents. She was always left at home alone when they’d go out to parties and come back late…until they didn’t one night. They skipped town and never came back; parents of the year right? Nicole chuckles lightly to herself and shakes her head when she hears a knock on her door.

 

“Haught!” Wynonna yells when she opens the door. “Ready to get planning?”

 

“Considering you aren’t giving me any sort of choice,” Nicole glares at her, “I guess so.”

 

“Great, so we’re on the same page,” she pushes past the redhead and into the kitchen. When she passes, Nicole notices Waverly standing off to the side.

 

“You know you can come in, Waverly. Right?” She looks at her.

 

“Right, yeah,” Waverly nods. “I’ll just, uh…I’ll come in a minute.”

 

Nicole just nods and closes the door, going to the kitchen where she finds Wynonna rummaging through her fridge. She rolls her eyes and leans against the wall, crossing her arms.

 

“Sure, make yourself at home, Earp.”

 

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Wynonna stands and sneers at Nicole with a can of beer in one hand and a slice of leftover pizza in the other.

 

“Please tell me again why we can’t use your house for this party?”

 

“Because,” she responds as she shoves pizza into her mouth, “we always have it there. It’s getting boring and we need to shake things up. And I don’t want people mooching off of my hooch with no pay; my beer is my life. Plus, your place is bitchin’ and – ”

 

“Don’t say it,” Nicole glares at her.

 

“It has character,” she says it anyway.

 

“It’s cramped and small,” Nicole replies flatly.

 

“But it’s cute and cozy,” Nicole turns around and sees Waverly walking their way. Immediately she stands up straight. “I think it’d be really fun to have it here.”

 

“Right then,” Nicole nods, “well let’s get to planning.”

 

“So when I say let’s have a party here you’re all grumpy, but when Waverly says it you’re all game?” Wynonna crosses her arms.

 

She shrugs. “She’s very persuasive,” Nicole tosses a dimpled smile in Waverly’s direction.

 

“Barf, please don’t get all flirty with my sister while I’m standing right here,” Wynonna rolls her eyes.

 

“What?” Nicole’s eyes grow wide. “I wasn’t…I mean I don’t…I was just…” She stammers and looks to Waverly for help, but the brunette’s facial expression is reflective of her own.

 

“Whoa there pal, I was just messing with you,” Wynonna snorts. “Geez you two are really easy to scare,” she laughs and walks into the living room, slapping Nicole on the back as she passes.

 

Waverly and Nicole are left in the kitchen, staring at each other, and an awkward air hangs around them. They know they are smitten with each other, but they’ve never really talked about it. Mostly because Waverly is with Champ and Nicole doesn’t want to complicate things. They’ve come so far from their drunken one night hookup on Christmas Eve two years ago, and Wynonna seems to just throw all of their hard work out the window every time she makes a comment about their relationship. Nicole gives Waverly an apologetic smile and walks past her into the living room to start the dreadful planning of this damn party.

 

\- - - - -

 

Three hours and many arguments later, the three have decided on when the party should be held, who to invite, and what food to serve. Nicole is long past aggravated and just wants it to be over with already. Wynonna told Waverly that Champ isn’t allowed to come, that it’s a close friends event only, but Nicole insists that he does. She doesn’t want Waverly to be alone on New Year’s Eve with no one to kiss at midnight when she has a boyfriend. Waverly claims it’s no big deal if he doesn’t come, but Nicole is persistent about her answer. Wynonna gives her the side eye but the redhead just brushes it off. Sometimes you do crazy things to ensure the happiness of those you love.

 

“He’ll just ruin everything!” Wynonna shouts at her sister. “He hates all of us.”

 

“And you all hate him,” Waverly states pointedly.

 

“All the more reason for him not to come!”

 

“Wynonna, let her be happy would you?” Nicole snaps. “Just because he doesn’t like us, and we don’t like him, doesn’t mean Waverly can’t spend New Year’s Eve with him. And don’t even consider telling her not to come because we all know you want her here just as much as I do,” the words slip out before she can stop herself but she continues. “Just let her be happy.”

 

“Damn, Haught,” Wynonna throws her hands up in defense, “if I would have known that you’d rip my head off over this I wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.”

 

Nicole huffs and looks at the clock hanging on the wall. “It’s getting late and I have the early shift tomorrow.”

 

“You work at a music shop that opens at eleven,” Wynonna points out.

 

“And?” Nicole stands up. “I still have shit to get done before I go in tomorrow. Please leave.”

 

“Come on, Wynonna,” Waverly stands and grabs her sister’s arm. “Don’t test her tonight. She’s not in the mood.”

 

Wynonna grumbles as she stands up. Waverly gives Nicole an apologetic smile as they make their way to the door. Nicole watches as the sisters leave and leans against the door after closing it. She sighs and rubs her face, dreading this party more now than before.

 

\- - - - -

 

The next day is pure hell for Nicole. Work is slow, as always, and she has nothing do but reorganize the basket of guitar picks next to the register for the third time since she clocked in. Her coworker, Jeremy Chetri, nudges her with his shoulder and gives her a curious look.

 

“Everything alright?” He asks. “You’ve dumped that basket out and rearranged those picks three times now.”

 

“Yeah,” Nicole replies shortly. “Just peachy.”

 

“Really? Because it seems like you’re about ready to punch someone.”

 

“Champ Hardy,” the redhead mumbles. “No, I’m fine, Jer,” she says louder. “Just tired is all.”

 

Jeremy nods and leans back in his chair. “So for the NYE party Monday,” he looks at her. “Anything I can bring?”

 

“I think Wynonna is going to buy all of the food and stuff. Something about wanting to get good snacks this year.”

 

“I take offense to that,” Jeremy places a hand over his heart in mock offense. “My vegan appetizers are always a hit.”

 

“You make a valid point there, Chetri,” Nicole stands up straight and turns to face him. “Know what? This party is at my place, therefore I can make the rules. Bring whatever you want. Tell Robin he can bring something too if he wants.”

 

“Wynonna won’t be too keen on having _two_ _other_ vegan dishes at the party in addition to my own,” Waverly says as she strolls up to the counter, coffee in hand.

 

“Well it’s my place,” Nicole folds her arms over her chest. “I don’t mind them. You always make the best food anyway.”

 

“Why thank you, Miss Haught,” Waverly giggles and gives a curt nod before setting the cup of coffee down. “Your usual. Not to much milk, not too much caramel, and just the right amount of espresso.”

 

“Thank you, Waves,” Nicole smiles graciously at the smaller girl and takes a sip. “You headed to Shorty’s?”

 

“Yeah,” Waverly looks down at her work attire and sighs. “I picked up a couple extra shifts to make some more money,” bringing her eyes back up to Nicole’s, she smiles slightly. “You gonna come by? I work until closing today and could really use some company.”

 

“What about Champ?” Nicole says, trying to keep the venom out of her voice.

 

Waverly shrugs. “He hasn’t been around much.”

 

“You guys okay?” Jeremy asked. “He hasn’t hurt you or anything, has he?”

 

“No, no. Everything is…” Waverly pauses for a moment. “He hasn’t hurt me. I’ve gotta get going. Don’t want to be late,” she forces a smile and waves her goodbyes before heading out of the shop.

 

“Something is definitely up with her and Champ,” Jeremy says.

 

“Yeah,” Nicole nods, “and I’m going to find out what it is.”

 

\- - - - -

 

Taking her lunch break early, Nicole decides to head over to Shorty’s before it opens to see Waverly and talk to her. The bar is down the street from the music shop, so it doesn’t take long for Nicole to reach the swinging doors. The sign is still flipped to closed but one of the doors is ajar, so Nicole pushes it open and walks inside. The moment she steps through the threshold of the bar, she hears screaming. Tensing up, and ready to fight, Nicole pokes her head into the bar area. Her body instantly relaxes, though, when she finds that the shrieking was less out of panic and more out of aggravation. Standing behind the bar, dripping wet in what Nicole can only assume to be beer, is Waverly. She wipes down her shirt with the bar rag clutched in her right hand and sighs.

 

“Stupid taps,” she grumbles. Nicole takes advantage of her presence still being unknown and leans against the doorframe, crossing her arms. She watches Waverly scold the beer taps a moment longer before speaking up.

 

“I didn’t know Shorty’s had wet t-shirt competitions,” she grins.

 

“Jesus!” Waverly spins around to face the redhead. “Oh it’s you. I thought you were Champ or someone.”

 

“Nah,” Nicole shakes her head. “Just little ole me.”

 

“Can I help you with something?” Waverly leans against the bar.

 

“Yeah, um I just came over here because I was wondering how you were doing,” Nicole makes her way over to the bar and sits on one of the stools. “I mean, are you alright? You seemed to be missing that signature sparkle in your eyes this morning when you came by the shop. Everything okay?”

 

“Everything is fine. Just Champ being an ass is all.”

 

“Champ,” Nicole narrows her eyes. “What did that self-absorbed prick do to you this time?”

 

“He said that he won’t come to the party because he doesn’t want to be around you guys. So I told him not to come and he got mad at me because he thinks that I’d rather spend time with you than with him.”

 

“This is about me?” Nicole looks at the brunette in shock. “Wave…we talked about this. The last thing I want is to get in the way of your relationship.”

 

“And you aren’t,” Waverly reaches across the bar top to take Nicole’s hands in her own. “He just thinks that you are. Because we do that stupid flirty thing every time we’re together.”

 

“Maybe I should just stay away from you for a little, yeah?” Nicole looks down at their hands.

 

“Nic,” Waverly squeezes her hands, “don’t stay away. I want to be around you. You know I want to be with you.”

 

“So why don’t you leave him then?” Nicole asks in a voice barely above a whisper.

 

“Have you met the guy? He’ll murder me. Especially if he knows that you’re the one I left him for.”

 

“Is he threatening you?” Nicole looks up. “Is he hurting you?” There is a twinge of anger in her voice that scares Waverly.

 

“What? Why would you assume that, Nicole?” Waverly’s eyes speak something different than the words coming from her mouth and Nicole knows she’s lying.

 

“Don’t lie,” Nicole says. “Tell me the truth, Waverly. Is he hurting you?” She says, the anger clearly evident in her voice now.

 

“That isn’t something I should talk about to you,” Waverly huffs. “Why do you want to know anyway? I’m capable of taking care of myself; handling my own problems. I don’t need to be saved.”

 

“I never said you did,” Nicole’s voice was as cold as ice as she stood from her stool. “I can’t be worried about my best friend? Sorry for caring. Just want to be positive that Champ is treating you the way you should be treated.”

 

“Nicole, I don’t – ” Waverly starts but is cut off by Champ strolling up to the bar.

 

“Hey, babe,” he smiles a toothy smile that makes Nicole’s stomach churn. “Beat it, butch,” he snaps at the redhead.

 

“Watch your mouth, Hardy,” Nicole retorts.

 

“Oh like I’m afraid of you,” he snorts and looks at Waverly. “Can you believe her?”

 

“I’ll show you what to be afraid of,” Nicole brings her fist back but Waverly grabs her arm.

 

“Nic, don’t,” she says softly. It was then, in that moment, that Nicole knew for certain that Waverly isn’t being completely honest with her. The fear in her eyes says it all.

 

“He’s not worth it anyway,” Nicole grumbles and yanks her arm out of Waverly’s grasp. She storms out of the bar without another word.

 

Waverly is left standing alone with Champ, her eyes following the tall woman out the door. Her eyes move to Champ who is looking at her like she’s his next meal, ready to devour her whole. He doesn’t like the way she looks at Nicole. He doesn’t like that she’s friends with Nicole. He doesn’t like Nicole at all. Waverly should know better than to associate herself with the redhead in front of Champ, but she chooses to do so anyway.

 

Champ grabs her arm and takes her to the apartment above the bar to show her who she’s supposed to look at in the ways she looks at Nicole.

 

\- - - - -

 

New Year’s Eve, Nicole’s least favorite day of the year. She ignores the texts she keeps getting from Waverly and continues restocking a bin of drum sticks on sale. It has been four days since she last saw the youngest Earp and she’s barely spoken a word to her. When they did speak, things were terse and full of snappy one lined replies. Nicole wasn’t mad at Waverly for not telling her about Champ hurting her, most victims are that way. She was angry at herself for not realizing it sooner. The girl she knows she belongs with is stuck with some meat-head rodeo clown who uses her for sex and pleasure. What boils her blood even more is that Champ prods Waverly around like some prize winning cow at the state fair. He doesn’t care about their relationship, he only cares about her making him look good and boosting his reputation.

 

Thankfully Nicole hasn’t run into either Champ or Waverly throughout the week. She spotted the smaller woman at the supermarket the day before while she was shopping for the party, but successfully avoided her by going to the deli section. Wynonna has been tearing Nicole’s head off for giving her sister the cold shoulder, but also consoling her and giving her advice on how to handle her predicament. Wynonna’s exact words to her were to “just suck it up, be a woman, and go get your God damn girl, Haught.”

 

And that’s exactly what she intends to do. As soon as she figures out how to handle Champ.

 

Nicole clocks out when her shift is over and heads to her car. Passing the sign they keep in front of the shop advertising new products, Nicole bumps into someone and stumbles back a couple of steps.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she says after regaining her balance. “I didn’t see you there.”

 

“Watch where you’re going next time,” the voice stops Nicole in her tracks and she brings her eyes up to meet those of Champ.

 

“Or what?” She snaps. “You’ll deck me in the face? I don’t think Waverly would appreciate that very much,” she stands up tall.

 

“Screw what Waverly thinks. Stay away from my girl,” he grunts, “or you’ll seriously regret it.”

 

“Hey baby!” Nicole turns around. “You about ready to go?” Her eyes narrow when Stephanie Jones, blonde and ditzy as always, comes bouncing their way. She grips Champ’s arm and leans up to plant a kiss on his cheek. “We’ve got an hour before the movie. Enough time for a quickie?” She winks at him.

 

“More than enough time, babe,” Champ smirks and glares at Nicole before walking away.

 

“Oh you’ve _got_ to be kidding me,” Nicole seethes. She goes to chase after the couple but stops when her phone buzzes with another text form Waverly, this time in a group chat with her and Wynonna.

 

 **Waverly:** _Shorty just asked if I could pick up an extra shift tonight. I told him I would because I need the money and we’ve been short handed lately. I’m sorry I can’t come to the party : ( but hey, at least Champ won’t be around now, right?_

Nicole sighs and puts her phone back in her pocket as she reaches her car. Without Waverly at the party tonight, she’ll be forced to socialize with other people. Not that she doesn’t love her friends, but she just much prefers the young Earp’s company to anyone else’s. Maybe she can lock herself in her room until midnight; no one will notice with the amount of alcohol Wynonna will be providing.

 

As she drives home, Nicole internally argues with herself about whether or not she should tell Waverly about Champ cheating on her. It probably won’t come as a surprise to Waverly, but it’s still something she needs to know. It isn’t Nicole’s place to say anything, though, which ultimately keeps her from telling Waverly. Despite the fight they two women were in the middle of, Nicole longed for Waverly to come to the party. That way she could at least keep an eye on her and make sure Champ didn’t try anything. Without her, or him, at the party, God knows what he could do if he showed up at the bar.

 

Things we’re finally clicking into place in Nicole’s mind. The aggressive nature that Waverly has picked up over the past two years, the tentativeness of wanting to be alone with Nicole, the lack of touchy-feely Waverly. Nicole notices everything with Waverly, so not catching on to the now obvious signs of her abuse and her cracked relationship sooner angers her to no end. She should have noticed the second she realized that Waverly began wearing more makeup than usual, or that it seemed like she had stopped eating as much as she used to. Waverly keeps telling Nicole that her New Year’s resolution is to let go of the things weighing her down and to allow herself to fully spread her wings and fly. Nicole just assumed that meant quitting her job at Shorty’s and going back to college to finish her degree. Or maybe moving away from home, out of Purgatory, to go find a job that would get her far in life. But the more Nicole thinks about it, the more she realizes that it might be about her relationships with the people within Purgatory.

 

\- - - - -

 

“Wynonna, calm down,” Mercedes rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Waverly said she had to work. Why are you so flustered?”

 

“Because, Mercedes,” Wynonna groans. “Tonight was supposed to be the night I got Haught-shot and Waverly together. And now baby sis won’t be here. My plan is ruined.”

 

“You need a drink, and you need to chill,” Mercedes hands Wynonna a shot glass and fills it with whisky. “If Nicole and Waverly are meant to be together then they’ll find their way to each other. That’s how we were, wasn’t it?”

 

“You really need to stop being so soft around me, it’s way out of character for you,” Wynonna laughs and downs her shot. “But I love you and adore you.”

 

“Well you better,” the redhead nudges the Earp. “You won’t find a better manager around here than me. No one wants to run an Earp business,” she jokes.

 

“No one wants to date an Earp either,” Wynonna looks up at Mercedes. “Unless they’re out of their damn mind.”

 

“I’ve never been much of the sane type,” Mercedes shrugs. “This shit is good,” she looks down at the bottle in her hand. “I think this might be our new best seller.”

 

“I’ve worked so hard to perfect the test,” Wynonna stands. “I was thinking of bringing a few bottles to Haught’s tonight for everyone to taste at the party. See how it goes over before sticking a label on it and selling it.”

 

“Look at you, planning and such,” Mercedes laughs and kisses Wynonna’s cheek. “My girl is smart.”

 

“Hey, I learn from the best,” Wynonna smiles. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go call my sister and yell at her until I feel better about her ruining my plan.”

 

\- - - - -

 

Instead of going home, Nicole decides to spend her last few free hours at the coffee shop. Everything was ready for the night’s events aside from the food some of her friends are bringing. Nicole orders her coffee and finds an empty table next to a window. She takes her phone out and plugs her headphones in, scrolling through her playlists to find one she’s in the mood for. She stares at Waverly’s messages and sighs, knowing she needs to respond but not knowing what to say. It doesn’t seem like the smaller woman is angry at her, which only angers Nicole even more.

 

“Leave it to Waverly to completely brush off an argument in order to avoid conflict,” Nicole sighs and takes a sip of her coffee.

 

“Trouble in paradise?” Rosita walks up to the table and sits across from the redhead.

 

“Hardly,” Nicole scoffs.

 

“What’s today’s flavor of aggravation?” Rosita leans her elbows on the table.

 

“Champ Hardy and his sexist, homophobic, misogynistic existence,” the redhead grumbles.

 

“That’s a lot,” the smaller woman whistles. “I think I might have a solution to all of your troubles,” she reaches into her purse and pulls out a flask. “As temporary as it may be.”

 

“Please,” Nicole chuckles and takes the top off of her cup. “After the day I’ve had, anything helps.”

 

Rosita pours some of the flask’s contents into her friend’s cup before pouring some into her own. She caps the flask and returns it to her purse. Nicole takes a sip of her now spiked coffee and coughs as it burns her throat.

 

“What did you just put into my coffee? This is stronger than anything I’ve tasted before.”

 

“A new Earp recipe,” Rosita smirks. “Hasn’t hit the shelves yet. Wynonna gave me a bottle to test out earlier this week. Mercedes texted and said they were bringing a few bottles tonight for a little test run.”

 

“Perks of having a friend in the whisky business: free booze.”

 

“Don’t I know it,” they both laugh. “So tell me about this mess you’ve gotten into with Waverly.”

 

“I don’t know,” Nicole shakes her head. “I’ve started to feel like a lost cause to her. Champ seems to really make her happy in his own, demented sort of way.”

 

Rosita snorts into her coffee and slaps her hand down on the table. “Bull shit,” she says.

 

“What do you mean, bull shit?” Nicole narrows her eyes.

 

“That girl is as miserable as they get.”

 

“So why is she still with that dickface?”

 

“Small town, limited dating options?” Rosita offers. “And once you’re with Champ Hardy, you’re in it for good. He doesn’t let you go unless he wants to.”

 

“That’s disgusting,” Nicole spits. “She deserves so much more than him.”

 

“Why do you think that?” Rosita asks. It isn’t an insult or a stab at the Earp family, and Nicole knows that. She wants to know why Nicole thinks Waverly can do better.

 

“Because,” Nicole looks down at her cup, “she’s beautiful, and generous, and funny. Everything he’s not. And she’s smart; smarter than he could ever think of. That’s what pisses me off about their relationship. Waverly Earp is the smartest girl I know and yet she’s choosing to spend her life with him.”

 

“She’s spent her whole life tailoring who she is for the people she’s with,” she continues. “I think she was beginning to figure out what she really wanted, and then Champ came along and threw it all away.”

 

“What would you do differently?” Rosita asks. Nicole is a stubborn one when it comes to her feelings so Rosita knows how to get things out of her, no matter how painful it may be.

 

“Everything,” Nicole admits. “Every God damn thing. Starting with a proper date. I want to let her know that I genuinely want to be with her.”

 

“Considering you’ve already slept together, I think she already knows that you want to be with her,” Rosita laughs at Nicole’s reddening face and lightly kicks her leg under the table. “You’ve got it bad for her, Red.”

 

“What? No I don’t,” Nicole deflected.

 

“You love Waverly.”

 

“Rosita, no I don’t. I don’t want to be with her that badly,” Nicole’s anger starts creeping back into her system. Waverly lied to her. She doesn’t want to be with a liar. “No one wants be be with a liar. Especially not a lying Earp,” she snaps before she can stop the words from coming out.

 

“You don’t mean that, Nicole and we both know it,” Rosita says, words as cold as ice, and stands up. “Get your head out of your ass, climb down from your high horse, and go get your girl. Stop lying to yourself. She’s waiting for you to make the move. We all are. And I’m getting tired of your pathetic shit,” and with that she got up and left.

 

“Fuck me,” Nicole groans and buries her head in her hands.

 

\- - - - -

 

**_Two hours until midnight_ **

 

The party began four hours ago and everyone is already neck deep in alcohol. Music plays loudly from a stereo set in Nicole’s small living room and her friends are dispersed around the kitchen and living room areas. Nicole sits on the couch, nursing her third beer of the night and avoiding Rosita at all costs. After their encounter in the coffee shop, Nicole doesn’t want to see her and she doesn’t want to hear about Waverly. She doesn’t even want to think about Waverly or what she might be doing right now. Serving up drinks like crazy at Shorty’s, wearing that shirt and those jeans that hug her hips in all the right ways, stealing kisses from Champ every chance she gets. Nicole still hasn’t told Waverly about Champ cheating; she hasn’t told anyone about him cheating. It’s a messy situation and one that she knows Waverly can handle on her own.

 

 _But she shouldn’t have to handle it on her own._ Nicole thinks to herself. _She should know that her boyfriend is cheating on her._

 

Letting her thoughts take control of her body, Nicole stands from her spot and grabs another beer before pulling her phone from her pocket. The thumping, house party music dies out and changes to a slower song and Nicole sighs as everyone starts to slow dance. She looks down at her phone and is about to dial Waverly’s number when Chrissy Nedley walks past her. Chrissy takes a few steps back and stares at Nicole for a few seconds before grabbing her arm, pulling her back into the living room.

 

“You look like you could use some company,” she says, her voice sounding more sober than she looks. “Come dance with me?”

 

“Yeah, okay,” Nicole shrugs. It can’t hurt to try to have fun. She follows Chrissy over to a less crowded area in the room.

 

“You know, I really expected you to be shacked up with someone by now,” Chrissy says as she wraps her arms around Nicole’s neck. “Spending New Year’s Eve with them.”

 

“No need to rub it in,” Nicole sighs. “Not all of us can have magical fairytale endings like you and Perry,” she places her hands on Chrissy’s waist.

 

“I wasn’t trying to jab at you,” Chrissy shakes her head. “I just mean – and you’re going to hate me for bringing this up – Waverly…she,” she sighs, “Nicole she loves you. And she’s wasting her life away with Champ fucking Hardy.”

 

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.”

 

“And I know you love her too. Which means that we both know how blind Waverly can be at times. For someone with a degree in ancient languages, she’s pretty damn stupid sometimes.”

 

“Yeah,” Nicole laughs lightly, her anger towards Waverly slowly melting away. “She can be.”

 

They continue to dance through the rest of the song, Chrissy keeping quiet and Nicole lost in her thoughts. The song ends but they don’t move. Nicole can’t stop thinking about the little signs that Waverly has dropped in the past about her unstable relationship.

 

“I guess little Miss Perfect Relationship isn’t so perfect after all,” Nicole says softly.

 

“No,” Chrissy replies. “And she’s waiting on you to make it perfect,” Nicole lifts her head and meets Chrissy’s eyes. “For you to save her,” Nicole opens her mouth to respond but Wynonna beats her to it.

 

“Haught, can I talk to you for a minute?” Nicole sighs and steps back from Chrissy. She turns and looks at Wynonna. “It’s kind of important.”

 

\- - - - -

 

**_One hour until midnight_ **

“Why couldn’t you go and get your own damn beer and bring it to Shorty’s yourself,” Nicole mutters as she fills her trunk with kegs and packs of Wynonna’s beer. “It’s your business. I shouldn’t be forced to leave my own apartment to do your work for you.”

 

She gets back in her truck and starts the engine. Before pulling out of the homestead driveway, her phone rings. When she sees the name on the screen, her breath catches in her chest.

 

_Waverly_

 

Nicole’s heart is racing and her palms are sweaty. What if she’s in trouble? What if Champ has hurt her again? Her mind fills with endless ‘what if’ questions and starts to get angry again. Not at Waverly this time, but at Champ. Because Waverly would never call anyone while she was on the clock unless it was an absolute emergency. Pressing the answer button, Nicole holds the phone up to her ear.

 

“Champ’s cheating on you,” She blurts out, unable to keep the words in. If this were an emergency, Waverly needed to know first. “And I suspect that he has been for a while now.”

 

 _“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, dyke,”_ Nicole’s heart stops and she freezes. The voice doesn’t belong to Waverly, it belongs to Champ.

 

“Why are you on Waverly’s phone, Champ?”

 

_“I have free reign over all of her property. It’s the rule of Champ’s world. She’s my property, and her property belongs to me.”_

 

“Waverly doesn’t belong to anyone,” Nicole bites. “If you lay another finger on her I will make sure you never see the new year,” she pulls out of the driveway as quickly as possible and speeds down the road towards Shorty’s.

 

 _“I’m just calling to let you know that Waverly doesn’t want to be around you anymore. She’s done with you and your gay ass. So stay the hell away from my girl,”_ Nicole can practically smell the alcohol on his breath through the phone as his words slur more with every sentence.

 

“Go fuck yourself, Hardy,” Nicole seethes.

 

 _“Oh I’ll be fucking someone alright,”_ she can feel him smirking. _“Waverly! Get your ass upstairs. I need release,”_ before Nicole can respond, the call ends.

 

“You’re dead, Champ,” Nicole grits her teeth and throws her phone on the passenger seat.

 

The car skids to a stop when Nicole pulls into the Shorty’s parking lot. She gets out of the car and slams the door shut not bothering to take her phone or bring the beer inside. When she enters the bar, she’s met with drunk bar patrons stumbling across the vast space, playing pool, and singing karaoke. Nicole looks around in search for Waverly and panic overtakes her body when she doesn’t see her behind the bar. Nicole spots Gus across the room and starts in her direction, but her feet stop moving when she hears the all to familiar cry of panic. Nicole and Gus meet gazes, and Nicole gives her a silent signal saying she’s got it. Gus offers her an appreciative smile paired with a glare that screams _I hate him just as much as you do._

 

Nicole clenches her hands into fists, digging her fingernails into the palms of her hands. Champ has Waverly cornered by the stairs, trying to shove her up to the apartment. Nicole storms over to them and grabs Champ by the back of his shirt. She drags him away from Waverly, fire burning in her eyes, and makes him face her.

 

“I told you not to touch her again,” she snaps and gets in his face. “You really are as dumb as you look. Go sleep around with whoever the hell you want, but Waverly Earp is off limits.”

 

“You’re really annoying, you know that? Fine,” Champ scoffs, “I’ll go sleep with every other girl in Purgatory. No one wants to be with an Earp anyway,” he spits and throws his beer bottle on the ground.

 

Nicole looks down at the bottle. “You know, littering is bad for the heart, right?” She looks back up at him.

 

“How so?” Champ gives her a side glance.

 

“Because when you litter,” Nicole grabs the front of Champ’s shirt, “I hit you in the heart,” she elbows him in the chest and punches him square in the jaw. Champ’s body goes slack and he slumps to the floor.

 

Nicole feels as if everyone in the bar is staring at her, but when the countdown mantra chant fills the room, she knows that no one has paid any attention to the encounter taking place behind them.

 

_Ten, nine, eight_

Nicole turns to face Waverly. The smaller woman’s eyes are red, tears streaming down her face. She’s gripping the doorframe surrounding the staircase so hard that her knuckles have gone white. Nicole’s heart breaks at the sight.

 

_Seven, six, five_

She takes the three steps that separate her from the younger Earp. Waverly backs away, afraid and quite possibly scarred for life by the things Champ has done to her.

 

_Four_

Nicole shakes her head and grabs one of Waverly’s wrists gently. Waverly looks down at her hand and closes her eyes tightly. Nicole knows they’re going to have a lot to work through in the future. Champ has destroyed her.

_Three_

Waverly looks back up at Nicole and sees that she, too, has tears in her eyes. The fire that was burning bright within her brown eyes has now been replaced with concern for the girl before her. Waverly reaches for Nicole with her free hand, pulling her closer.

_Two_

The words that Waverly wants to say get caught in her throat as more tears spill from her eyes. She just watched her best friend beat the snot out of the man she thought she loved. How was she supposed to follow up on that?

_One_

“Nicole – ” Waverly tries, but the taller woman shakes her head and brings Waverly’s face closer to her own, crashing their lips together.

 

“Happy New Year!” Everyone screams and hugs as confetti popper go off and champagne is poured.

 

Waverly cups Nicole’s face in her hands and pulls away from their kiss. She locks her gaze with Nicole’s and takes a deep breath willing herself to speak, but Nicole beats her to it.

 

“I’m sorry for ghosting on you for the past few days. I was just…I was so angry…why didn’t you tell me?” Nicole closes her eyes as she continues. “I wasn’t mad at you. I was mad at myself for not picking up on the signs sooner. And when I found out, I lost myself in my emotions. He was cheating on you. I saw him with Stephanie Jones a-and I was going to tell you but I figured that you could handle it on your own because you don’t need anyone to save you. You…you’re strong and capable of taking care of your problems and I’m just so sorry, Waverly.”

 

“Hey look at me,” Waverly waits until Nicole’s eyes open. “I know he was cheating on me. But what was I going to do? Leaving him is the obvious answer, but not when he kicks my ass every time I actually go to do it,” she strokes Nicole’s cheek with her thumb, wiping away her tears. “I made a huge mistake ever getting together with him. He scares me, and not in a good way. But you, Nicole…you terrify me…in the best damn way possible.”

 

“I scare you?”

 

“Yes,” Waverly laughs softly, more tears coming to her eyes, “yes you do. And when I think about what I want to do most in this world, it isn’t Champ. It’s you. It took my best friend yelling at me and my sister threatening me to really understand what I was so afraid of, which is not being good enough for you.”

 

“Well after getting yelled at by Rosita and Chrissy slapping some sense into me, I can assure you that I’d be the one who isn’t good enough for you.”

 

“You know, I was expecting Wynonna to be the one who dropped off the beer since I called _her_ and said we were running low,” Waverly wipes her eyes and sniffles. “You are the last person I expected to show up. Maybe I’d expect Mercedes, but definitely not you.”

 

“I have a feeling Wynonna set us up,” Nicole laughs. “She parent trapped us.”

 

“Of course she did. She’s been talking my ear off about me leaving Champ and joking about me getting together with you. I’m starting to think that she was being serious.”

 

A silence falls over the two, a comfortable silence. Hazel eyes stare into brown as both women try to think of what to say. After a minute of silence, Nicole decides to speak of. “I love you, Waverly Earp,” she states with certainty.

 

“And I love you, Nicole Haught,” Waverly replies without missing a beat.

 

“I’m going to kiss you again, if that’s okay?”

 

“More than okay,” Waverly whispers as Nicole leans back in and captures her lips in a soft kiss full of passion.

 

While bar patrons celebrate and drink, Wynonna and Mercedes stroll in through the bar entrance with the rest of their friends in tow. Jeremy and Robin are holding hands, Perry has his arm around Chrissy, and Rosita and Doc stand to the side talking to Dolls and Eliza. Mercedes nudges Wynonna with her elbow and motions to the back corner of the room.

 

“Looks like your plan worked after all,” she smiles.

 

“Yeah,” Wynonna nods looking in their direction. “I guess it did.”

 

“You did good, babe,” Mercedes pulls Wynonna close to her by the front of her leather jacket. “Waverly and Nicole deserve each other. Just like we do.”

 

“Happy New Year, Mercedes,” Wynonna smiles.

 

“Happy New Year, Earp,” Mercedes smiles and the two share a kiss.

 

“Now who wants some free booze?!” Wynonna yells. Everyone in the bar yells and cheers.

 

\- - - - -

 

Nicole and Waverly went home together that night. When they enter Nicole’s apartment, it’s quiet. The music is off, but the lights are on. Streamers hang from lights and cascade down from the ceiling. Food sits on the tables in the kitchen and living room. It’s a mess, but Nicole can tell that it isn’t as messy as when she left. Everyone picked up before heading to Shorty’s. Nicole locks the door and hangs her keys on the key ring. She shrugs off her coat and hangs it up along with Waverly’s. The two toe off their boots and leave them by the door.

 

Nicole takes Waverly’s hand in her own and leads her to the living room. She plugs her phone into the stereo and scrolls through her music until she finds the perfect song. Jamie Lawson’s Wasn’t Expecting That starting playing through the speakers and Nicole held her hand out to Waverly.

 

“Dance with me?”

 

“You know it’s, like, two in the morning right?” Waverly bites her lip.

 

“Mhm,” Nicole nods, “but I want you to dance with me. I want to start this year holding my love in my arms.”

 

“You’re so cheesy,” Waverly smiles and takes Nicole’s hand, immediately pressing her body against Nicole’s.

 

“Yeah, but you love me,” Nicole smiles and places her hands on Waverly’s waist.

 

“I really, really do,” Waverly wraps her arms around Nicole’s neck and leans her forehead against Nicole’s.

 

They close their eyes and let the music transport them to a different place. They’re no longer standing in Nicole’s messy apartment surrounded by cheesy New Years decorations. They’re standing in a ballroom of emotion, dressed in their best attire. Waverly has never been fond of commitment; the thought of putting that much trust in something – into some _one_ – terrifies her. Everyone she loves has left her. Even if they came back, like Wynonna, they were still gone. And she told herself that she would never give her heart to someone without knowing they would never leave her.

 

She wears her heart on her sleeve tonight. Nicole Rayleigh Haught has her heart, and she isn’t anything short of content with that thought.

 

Nicole has never been with someone that brings out the things deep inside her that Waverly does. Nicole lets herself be vulnerable around the smaller woman and she trusts that she won’t take advantage of it.

 

Punching Champ in the face was the best decision of Nicole’s life. She will always be Waverly’s knight in shining armor when she needs her to be, even if she is perfectly capable of fighting her own battles.

 

“Happy New Year, Wav,” Nicole whispers.

 

“Happy New Year,” Waverly smiles and brings her lips to Nicole’s once more.


End file.
